Accepting the Word

Introduction

Our lives revolve around energy. We flip a switch and lights come on. We pick up our phones expecting them to work because they have been charged. We work on computers, we drive our cars, we engage much of life through a grid of energy. Watched a little child recently? Energy. There is a battery company that makes its sales based upon claims to last longer and to be more of what we expect from batteries. We need energy to live and function. Energy by definition is how we measure the ability to do work. We measure energy in various ways. To heat our homes we measure BTUs. To drive our cars we measure energy through horsepower. To measure electricity we measure energy in kilowatts. To measure energy from food we use the word calorie. Different situations; different vocabulary, but all measuring energy which will lead to work.

What gives you energy? Some need lots of sleep and others do not. Some need a nap during the day; others would like to get it but don’t have that luxury. Some get their energy from being with people; others get their energy when they are left alone to think. Some get energy through taking risks; others get energy through reading a good book. Some are energized by music; others are energized by quiet contemplation. We are all different about where we get our energy. We all have different ways to reenergize. But when our energy is good then we can accomplish something. The energy moves us toward action.

What happens when you are drained of energy? We sleep. We rest. We stop. The battery quits functioning. How important is energy? Just ask anyone who has no power in the house for an extended period of time. Science tells us that energy cannot come from nothing. And that energy when used changes into something else and the original energy can never be recovered. Thus, our universe is winding down. It will eventually die. We know this on a practical level. We expend energy throughout the day and we must rest to restore energy but as the days pass, we notice that there is less and less energy. So we reach the point in life where we sleep and rest more than we are active. We are winding down.

Our text this morning has something to say about energy—where it comes from and what it produces. As we study together this morning let’s be reminded that God provides our energy and we have life because of him.

The Text

Verses 13–16 do not require much teaching. They are straightforward. Paul is reminding the Thessalonians about his time with them. He left before he was ready but he reminds them of the value of his short time with them. They are encouraged to continue to walk in the ways of the gospel. Let’s review. Thessalonica had no less than 25 distinct idols. There were places to worship these idols throughout the city. Those living in this city would have gone to temple in order to worship but to also conduct business. This is where you made contact with those who could buy your goods or provide the name of someone who could help with commerce.

When they became believers they stopped going to temple. They lost contact with business associates. As Acts 17 points out, they were marked as those who believed in a new king and a new kingdom. This would have caused hardship and even direct persecution. And yet they remained faithful. They continued to demonstrate their faith even to the point that others in surrounding areas are impressed with their faith.

Verse 13. They heard the word of God but did not treat it as a human word. Instead they received it as the word of God. Paul and Silas spoke in Thessalonica. They were human beings. But these believers understood that the words were not of human origin. They were words that demonstrated that there is one true God and they didn’t just hear the words but received them in their heart. They heard the word as authoritative meaning that they submitted to the word and acted upon what they had received.

The result. Verse 14. They became imitators of God’s church in Judea. In what way? By suffering for their faith. Their faith was real. And their faith was questioned. And those previous business associates and worship friends abused them; ostracized them; cut them off. And they lost business and they lost status in the community and they worked harder with less results and they remained strong in their faith.

Why is the comparison made with Judean churches rather than Gentile churches? A little history. Following the initial success of the gospel in Jerusalem, Samaria, and Galilee, a persecution broke out. Christians were scattered. But that persecution was relatively short lived. At the time that Paul wrote this letter, there was another persecution happening in ancient Palestine. It was a Jewish Zealot persecution against Gentiles in Palestine. And it included anyone who was connected to Gentiles. In other words, Paul’s comparison is connected to what is currently happening in the Judean area in which Gentiles and those who supported them are being run out of Palestine. For those who choose to remain in Palestine, life is made very difficult. So Paul endorses their faith which allows them to remain in an area with suffering their companion.

Lesson

One lesson found in verse 13. The word of God. We hear it. Do we hear it as being authoritative or as one more message in a world with hundreds of messages? Paul uses an interesting word in verse 13—the word of God which is indeed at work in you. It’s the word “work” that is interesting. It is the word from which we get our word “energy.” The word of God produces energy. The word of God energizes us. But the word of God only produces energy if we internalize it. The energy comes only if we hear it as it is intended to be heard—God’s word.

In other words, the word of God produces energy to operate in this world. It provides energy when we are tempted. It provides energy when we sin and we seek forgiveness. It provides energy when we are ridiculed. It provides energy when we can take a stand for Jesus even if it costs us. It provides energy to follow when it would be easier to detour. It provides energy when we are impatient and want things to change.

When we are alone we trust God’s word that he never leaves us. When we are tired we trust God’s word that he takes our burden. When we are insecure we trust God’s word that he wants us confident that we belong to him. When we are looking for a better place, we trust God’s word that the day is coming when we will be with him. We keep treating people well, because we trust God’s word that through our mercy people will see God. It is from God’s word that we have life. This is God speaking to us. This is the voice of God.

This is not something to be analyzed but internalized. How else do you explain a group of people who lose business, status, position, and honor except that they believe God’s word is true and real? God’s word changed their lives not so that things were easier but to living a life that had meaning, purpose, joy, real love, faith and a future. And the cost of that life was worth the price that could be doled out by human beings. All because God’s word isn’t human; it comes from God who loves you beyond your own wisdom and knowledge. Invitation.

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